It has been well known that an antimicrobial agent is added to the foods for the preservation. Natural antimicrobial agents such as protamine, chitosan, lysozyme and the like have been used as an antimicrobial agent, but these natural antimicrobial agents are limited in the amount to be added to foods, and are not satisfactorily efficacious in the antimicrobial activity against some kinds of microbe or yeast fungi and so on.
On the other hand, it has been known that the method of controlling oxygen concentration lower by deoxidizing agents or gas substitution is effective to preserve foods, for example, Japanese confections, Western-style cakes, breads, noudles, dry saltery and so forth. These methods are also insufficient to prevent foods from the attack of some kinds of microbe, yeast or fungi and the like. Therefore, the independent preservation methods of foods by use of a natural antimicrobial agent or by the reduction of oxygen gas content using a deoxidizing agent or gas substitution have not led to a satisfactory result because of their insufficient antimicrobial activity against some kinds of microbe, yeast or fungi.
Natural antimicrobial agents, which themselves are used by directly spraying, dipping or mixing into foods are limited in the amount to be used, because they influence delicately the sense of taste and smell if they are used in much amount.